AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A 50-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday in connection to a kidnapping and battery case on Peach Orchard Road at Tubman Home Road, according to authorities.  

Benjamin Snyder is facing charges of kidnapping, battery and false imprisonment, according to booking information. 

Incident reports state Snyder was threatening to kill a 45-year-old female victim.  

The victim says she tried to get away from Snyder, but he continuously kicked and punched her in the face, according to the reports.  

The incident reports say the victim jumped out of a truck to get away from Snyder and was helped by witnesses on the scene.  

Witnesses say they saw Snyder hit the victim and drag her into the street, the reports say. 

Deputies say they observed marks and bruises on the victim’s body.  

The victim was treated on scene by EMS and transported to Augusta University Medical Center. 

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Boxing Club is celebrating 50 years, and they have a huge boxing match coming up to mark the anniversary.

Their goal has always been to keep the youth off the streets and into a structured, safe environment.

We spoke with a couple of the kids there about what it’s like to be a part of the club.

“I learned that it is a lot of hard work, but it definitely pays off. Everyone in here, they work with you to make you the best version of yourself,” said TJ Nalley.

Nalley has been coming to the Augusta Boxing Club for more than a year.

“I started coming here because my dad passed away so I just figured it would be a good place to get that anger out,” said Nalley.

Nalley is now gearing up for the 50th-anniversary boxing match alongside 8-year-old Gary Thomas.

Thomas says this place is where he lets out his emotions.

“If someone is getting bullied or hurt, I can help out, and this is where I show my anger out at so I can punch bags,” said Thomas.

And punching bags is what he is good at.

Rayonta Whitfield has been the director for 16 years. It’s a place where he started training at 10 years old.

“It’s been a long road. Boxing has done so much for me and the kids, and the community, so going on 50 years is such a great accomplishment for us,” said Whitfield.

Whitfield says what they teach goes beyond just boxing.

“We can help them with school and different things and their journey on life and keep them out of trouble, so that’s what we structure our program on, the kids,” said Whitfield.

More than 80 kids come to the Augusta Boxing Club. Whitfield says no kid is ever turned away.

Whether you’re a teenager, eight years old, a news photographer or a news anchor, there’s a place here for you.

Thomas said: “If you want to come here, you have to train hard and you will get better and better every time. I started out, I was not doing too good, but as I kept going, I got better and better.”

Their 50th-anniversary boxing match will take place on July 27 at May Park Community Center at 1 p.m.

The proceeds benefit the Augusta Boxing Club and their scholarships for families that cannot afford it.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga – Ember Holloway has been named the Head Coach of Augusta University Women’s Golf.

Holloway joins Augusta after serving as an assistant coach for the Georgia women’s golf program. Before her tenure at Georgia, she was an assistant coach at Purdue University, working under legendary head coach Devin Brouse. 

“It became abundantly clear early in our search that Ember was not only a great coach but would be a perfect fit for our campus and community,” said Director of Athletics Ryan Erlacher. “Our women’s golf vacancy was highly sought after and produced a tremendous candidate pool. Ember embodied everything we were looking for in our next coach and we have no doubt she will continue the commitment to excellence Coach Caroline Hegg established.”

During her time at the University of Georgia, Holloway coached three All-Americans, three All-SEC performers, and four individual title winners. The 2023 Bulldog team won the NCAA Athens Regional championship and finished 14^thoverall at the NCAA National Championship. The 2023-24 UGA recruiting class was ranked the No. 1 recruiting class in the country by the Golf Channel. The team was ranked inside the top-25 nationally by GolfStat and Clippd Golf for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. 

“I feel truly honored to be the next head women’s golf coach at Augusta University,” said Holloway. “I want to thank Ryan Erlacher and the rest of the search committee for their belief in me to build upon the success Augusta Golf is known for. My family and I look forward to being a part of such a storied and passionate community. Augusta is truly a special place and I cannot wait to compete for championships.”
 
Holloway had a distinguished collegiate golf career at Illinois from 2010-14, competing under her maiden name, Ember Schuldt, and later played professionally for three seasons. In 2020, she was the assistant and interim head golf professional at Urbana Country Club in Illinois.  Prior to that, she worked as the senior assistant golf professional at Boot Ranch Golf Club in Fredericksburg, Texas.

A native of Sterling, Illinois, Holloway recorded the second-lowest career stroke average in the University of Illinois program history. Playing in over 50 career tournaments, she achieved ten topz10 and 20 top-20 finishes.

Holloway was the first Illinois golfer to participate in three NCAA Regionals and held the Illini’s lowest stroke average in 2013 and 2014. In her senior year, she was named second-team All-Big Ten after leading Illinois individually in six out of 11 tournaments, including a sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Academically, she earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors as both a junior and a senior.

During her three seasons as a professional golfer, Holloway competed in 21 Symetra Tour events and 18 Cactus Tour events. She also qualified for two U.S. Women’s Amateurs and three U.S. Public Links Amateurs.
 

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